News

Lenovo and NBA Announce New Global Partnership

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2006
- The National Basketball Association and Lenovo today announced a new multi-year global marketing partnership to expand Lenovo’s brand recognition internationally and to enhance the NBA game through the use of new technology and statistics, including the launch of the innovative Lenovo Stat.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, Lenovo Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Deepak Advani and Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens gathered at The NBA Store on 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue to make the announcement.

As a new global marketing partner, Lenovo will be the “Official PC Partner of the NBA” with marketing rights in both the United States and China. The NBA will integrate Lenovo products into all facets of league operations, recognizing Lenovo’s focus on building the world’s best-engineered personal computers.

“The innovation and reliability of Lenovo computers forms the foundation of this unique global alliance which will integrate Lenovo products throughout the league and enhance how fans experience the NBA around the world,” said Stern. “Through our shared commitment to social responsibility, we will help make technology accessible to underserved communities through our NBA Cares initiatives.”

“Lenovo and the NBA are both focused on performance, excellence and innovation,” said Advani. “At the core of this partnership, Lenovo will provide courtside statisticians, referees, coaches and players from across the globe with the best-engineered PCs to help improve the game. Beyond technology, both the NBA and Lenovo are dedicated to improving communities worldwide. From expanding opportunities to enhancing the audience experience to improving team performance, Lenovo and the NBA will build the foundation for the next generation of basketball.”

As a way to demonstrate the power of teamwork during an NBA game, Lenovo and the NBA will unveil the Lenovo Stat to tip off the 2006-07 NBA season. The Lenovo Stat will showcase the best-engineered combination of teammates on the court for every NBA game and will be available on NBA.com and NBA TV at the end of each game.

The Lenovo Stat will be a plus/minus statistic that will look at the point differential when a player, or combination of players, is in the game to see what effect they have on the team as a whole. The statistic will identify the best individual through five player combinations for each game, and over the course of an entire season.

Lenovo will deploy ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and Lenovo 3000 notebook and desktop PCs courtside in all 30 NBA arenas to record data and statistical information for more than 1,300 NBA games throughout the regular season and playoffs.

Lenovo personal computers will be featured courtside at the Official Scorer’s Table and will record more than 250,000 points, 130,000 rebounds and more than 50,000 assists each season. NBA statisticians will benefit from Lenovo touch screen lap-tops to record more than 650,000 statistical events per season in real time to NBA.com, the league’s 30 team Web sites, NBA TV and thousands of media around the world. NBA referees will also utilize Lenovo personal computers to review video of their calls at halftime, post-game and while traveling between games.

During the partnership, Lenovo will work with select NBA coaches to develop an innovative tool utilizing Lenovo products that will revolutionize the coaching process.

As part of the agreement, Lenovo will activate around various NBA platforms throughout the year including NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs and The Finals, global events and NBA events in the United States and China. Additionally, Lenovo will partner with the league’s global community initiative NBA Cares, to donate personal computers and make them available in underserved communities.

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2005-06 season, the NBA distributed 44,000 hours of programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages. The league’s worldwide reach can also be seen with 82 international players on NBA rosters. Domestically, the NBA broadcasted 142 games on national television this past season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2, and eclipsed attendance records for the third consecutive season.

NBA TV, launched in 1999 as the first 24-hour television channel created and operated by a professional sports league, is distributed to 41 countries. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents, NBA.com gets more than half of its visitors from outside the United States.

As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA’s most significant efforts occur off the court. This past year, the league launched its most ambitious community outreach endeavor, NBA Cares. Over a five-year span, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than one million hours of volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 educational and athletic facilities where children can learn and play. For more information on the NBA, visit
NBA.com
.

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world's best engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see
www.lenovo.com
.